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what vaccines do you really need? probably none if your dogs are older. Once you're done with the full "puppy series + 1 year boosters" most people I know don't get any vaccines done except rabies as required by law, and a vet has to do that- here, it's every three years for a rabies shot.

People generally only get bordatella if some behind-the-times kennel requires it (bordatella vaccines are pretty useless, and most people are beginning to realize that).

Most dog places/events don't ask for proof of any vaccines other than rabies.

You REALLY don't want to skimp on the rabies shots- make sure they are up-to-date as required by law, fully documented. Very bad things can happen to you and your dogs if you can't prove they have their rabies shots. Skip a few meals if you have to in order to pay for their rabies shots. Vital.

You REALLY don't want to skimp on the rabies shots- make sure they are up-to-date as required by law, fully documented. Very bad things can happen to you and your dogs if you can't prove they have their rabies shots. Skip a few meals if you have to in order to pay for their rabies shots. Vital.

DITTO THIS! There was a skunk in our area (well in Plattsburgh, NY-an hour and a half from me) that got in an enclosure with 3 dogs. The skunk tested positive for rabies. Two of the dogs had documented rabies vaccinations...the third one did not. Guess what happened to that third dog....no wait and see for that poor guy

How do you get heartworm preventative meds without an annual vet exam? I'll skimp on a lot of things, but not the annual checkups for all of my animals.

I skip the annual checkups- I have never had anything useful come out of an annual checkup. I'm perfectly capable of noticing if my dog might have a problem- any health problem that has popped up has been noticed by me LONG before anything might get picked up on a routine annual checkup. You should check your dog's body for lumps and oddities on a regular basis anyway, and look in their eyes/ears/mouth, and so on at least once a week, so why pay a vet to do the same thing only once a year? you see any changes in anything or any other signs of ill-health, then you go to the vet.
I just buy the heartworm preventatives? there's no need for an exam to get those. Some unethical vets used to insist you get a blood test every year before getting a new supply, but hopefully this ridiculous practice has been abandoned by your vet?

I just buy the heartworm preventatives? there's no need for an exam to get those. Some unethical vets used to insist you get a blood test every year before getting a new supply, but hopefully this ridiculous practice has been abandoned by your vet?

I think some vets will still not dispense the meds without a heartworm test. The vet I used to work for finally came out with a waiver you could sign in order to get the meds without the test, because they went from the $12 test to the Idex Snapp test that costs much more and customers were complaining.

I just buy the hearworm preventatives? there's no need for an exam to get those.

What? They're prescription medications. How do you get them without a veterinarian's Rx?

Originally Posted by wendy

Some unethical vets used to insist you get a blood test every year before getting a new supply, but hopefully this ridiculous practice has been abandoned by your vet?

Hey, now, I'm as cheap as they come but "unethical" for asking for bloodwork before prescribing medication contraindicated for dogs with heartworm? They're not unethical, they sadly have learned from experience that a lot of owners lie about actually giving the heartworm preventive on schedule for an entire year, and/or they've found themselves in a boatload of trouble because they did give the medication, the dog did get ill, and they were faced with screaming, suing dog owners suing for negligence because the vet wasn't careful enough to administer the blood test. "Unethical" and "ridiculous"? Absolutely not.

Timely thread. My 9 YO lab has not been vaccinated in awhile because he had bad cluster seizures. We had always planned to ease him back in to the routine but then surgery after surgery, it got put off.

Now I'm facing it. And the vet said I can give the DA2PP and Bordatella myself. She'll give the rabies. And we can split 'em up. Seems like a good idea.

A good horseman doesn't have to tell anyone...the horse already knows.

I skip the annual checkups- I have never had anything useful come out of an annual checkup. I'm perfectly capable of noticing if my dog might have a problem- any health problem that has popped up has been noticed by me LONG before anything might get picked up on a routine annual checkup. You should check your dog's body for lumps and oddities on a regular basis anyway, and look in their eyes/ears/mouth, and so on at least once a week, so why pay a vet to do the same thing only once a year? you see any changes in anything or any other signs of ill-health, then you go to the vet.
I just buy the heartworm preventatives? there's no need for an exam to get those. Some unethical vets used to insist you get a blood test every year before getting a new supply, but hopefully this ridiculous practice has been abandoned by your vet?

The idea of a physical isn't to NOT bring your dog in if you do notice something, but to NOT vaccinate a dog who is not physically able to handle it (not all owners are as educated as you!).
Hot spot? PU/PD? Lymph nodes up? Enlarged spleen, liver or kidneys? Adrenal palpable? In these cases,this often indicates further discussions and No vaccines!

Although it doesnt happen frequently,I have known several dogs to have had something found on routine physical before the dog had any symptoms (ie. adrenal mass, retinal detachment, hemangiosarcoma, immune mediated diseases etc.) Symptoms eventually would have shown up, but these are just some examples of what can be found on a physical exam.

As for heartworm, I think it depends on your area. Here,its prescription. They do not need a current exam for it, but are required to be patients of the hospital. We do not blood test if the animal is current on it, or on a product that is a slow kill (generally the Ivermectins, Revolution,AdvantageMulti etc) . I think its very regional whether you have 12 month or 6 month treatments. Up here in the north, we used to do 6 months but due to the increased populations of critters in the early spring and late fall, 12 months is now becoming recommended.

There are still some of the rapid kill meds out there (Sentinel, Interceptor), and in this case if the dogs are heartworm positive,the adults can be killed too fast and can cause sudden death. In these cases,if the client chooses this heartworm medication, testing isnt "rediculous", it could be a $12 lifesaver.

Here is the south, where we can have mosquitoes year round, we require yearly hw tests... on EVERY dog. If you're buying hw meds from us and we notice you miss a month (and we DO check) we require a recheck six months from the missed dose. This has been the case at every clinic I've worked at. One had a waiver to sign if the person swore up and down they didn't miss a dose, but the computer said otherwise. I think I've heard of one clinic that allowed every other year testing as long as they had proof in their system the dog was up to date in hw preventative with no missed months. Current clinic doesn't require exam, but we do require a current negative heartworm test.
Heartworm preventatives are technically perscription drugs... therefore should not be sold unless there is some kind of clinic/pet relationship. HW preventatives are not and should not be being sold as OTC to someone who just walks in and asks for it.

Timely thread. My 9 YO lab has not been vaccinated in awhile because he had bad cluster seizures. We had always planned to ease him back in to the routine but then surgery after surgery, it got put off.

Now I'm facing it. And the vet said I can give the DA2PP and Bordatella myself. She'll give the rabies. And we can split 'em up. Seems like a good idea.

Why don't you skip the bordatella (basically pointless to give anyway) and do a distemper/parvo titer? That way you'd only be giving him a rabies booster. If your dog was properly vaccinated as a puppy/"yearling" then he most likely will have a high enough titer that he won't need the booster for distemper/parvo.

I am a fan of the titer, so I can appreciate where you're coming from. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, that is not sufficient for proof of vaccination for flight and going overseas. If you have info to the contrary, I'm all ears. But we don't know what country we'll be going to yet so I'm trying to cover the general bases.

A good horseman doesn't have to tell anyone...the horse already knows.